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Tuesday, August 20, 2013

This is exactly
why politicians can always exploit religion to divide people and create their
vote banks. They know we tend to be dogmatic or intolerant about our religious sentiments,
practices and rituals. We are ready to commit even sins to have the first view
in temples or any place of worship; we can hardly digest any criticism
regarding our beliefs; we take the extreme views as far as our religious
practices are concerned. Therefore, superstitious and black magic rituals get
mixed with our beliefs. Nobody can convince us of the irrationality inherent in
our practices. Result is intolerance and even violence—exactly the way some
political parties want us to do.

At 7.30 in the
morning today a progressive journalist-writer and social worker, Narendra
Dabholkar, was brutally shot dead in Pune, Maharashtra.
Narendra Dabholkar was taking a morning walk when two motorcycle borne assassins
fired indiscriminately at him and fled leaving him in a pool of blood. He was
rushed to a nearby hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The brutal act
was as shocking as it was stunning for the people of a relatively progressive
and literate state, Maharashtra and its
literally cultural capital Pune.

Narendra Dabholkar was a rationalist at heart and he spent all his life in fighting superstition
and black magic in religious beliefs and against all social evils. He founded an
organization, played a key role in several mass movements and wrote several
books on the subject. His website tells you of his intense thoughts on the
subjects. He clarified many times that he was not at all against religions, but against the associated evils. For years he tried to persuade the Government of Maharashtra to pass
an anti-superstition and black magic bill in the legislative assembly and for
the last seven sessions the Bill was proposed to be presented, but it did not
transpire that way. Just before the monsoon session this year the Chief
Minister of Maharashtra promised to get the
bill passed, but ultimately it was not even presented. Naturally for India, several
religious groups and political parties have been opposing the Bill over the years. With the violent end
of this noble crusader the fight against social evils suffers a serious setback
and the cloud of intolerance and fascism is far from over as we have debated so
many times in these pages.

All political
parties of Maharashtra are quick to condemn
the mindless killing and the Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan has announced an
award of one million rupees to anyone giving clues about the assassins. Investigations
are on and sketches of the assassins have been circulated. As per latest
reports no suspicion has been cast on any particular group or individuals.

We condemn this
cowardly killing and reassert our ‘faith’ and ‘belief’ in a tolerant, rational
and understanding India.
Let the noble soul of the crusader rest in eternal bliss and his movement continue.
Our ardent wish on this Sadbhavana or Goodwill Day today.

Baby Falak, the bruised and brutalized 2-year-old girl, finally decided to say goodbye to this cruel world (India) and departed for a better world. The poor child died on her third cardiac arrest on Thursday (March 15, 2012) at the same Delhi hospital she was admitted to though she had been improving well over the past few days. Doctors attending for nearly two months were planning to discharge her soon, but they were not sure of her brain functioning.

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Amulya Kumar Chakravarty

Noted Writer-Translator-Administrator of Assam 1928-1991

Amulya Kumar Chakravarty Memorial Trust Award

Amulya Kumar Chakravarty was a writer and a celebrated translator of world epics. He translated Homer’s Odyssey and Iliad and Virgil’s Aenid into Assamese. These books were published in the seventies and eighties in Assam, India; and even now are bestsellers going into multiple editions. Doubled with a flowing original language and strict authenticity these translated epics are hailed in Assam as trend setting translations.

Amulya Kumar Chakravarty had a hard life. Being a farmer’s son he went to the nearby town for studies and after graduation set off for Calcutta (now Kolkata) for post graduation in English. His ambition was to become a college teacher so that he could devote his life to education and writings. But due to economic hardships he had to come back half way and was forced to join Assam Civil Service of which he could not ever come out. He also contracted diabetes after forty years of age. Uprightness, honesty and efficiency ruling his career he always struggled for economic stability. He never had enough money and always took pride in telling that his only investments in life had been on his four children's education. Burning a lot of midnight oil, literally, and waging a constant war against mosquitoes he continued his writing activities and apart from the three translated epics he also wrote numerous short stories and a half completed novel. His exemplary honesty remains a source of inspiration for his admirers in today's environment of rampant corruption.

Amulya Kumar Chakravarty passed away in 1991. His family and local literary bodies in Guwahati formed a memorial Trust in 2002 and decided to institute an Award for excellent literary translations in Assamese on a biennial basis. The first Award consisting of cash prize and certificate was given in 2003 to one of the nominated books. This gave a tremendous boost to promote genuine translation works in Assam.

The Trust has announced the Award for 2011 to eminent author Dr. Prafulla Kataky for his outstanding contribution to Assamese literary translation work.

The Award was presented at an august function held on October 09, 2011 at Veterinary College Auditorium, Guwahati.

For 2013 the Sixth Amulya Kumar Chakravarty Memorial Translation Literature Award was presented to Author-Translator Bipul Deuri at a dignified ceremony held on 6th October, the 22nd Death Anniversary of Amulya Kumar Chakravarty, at Sankardev Kalakshetra, Guwahati. The Award was handed over by Imran Shah, President of Assam Sahitya Sabha. A Painting Competition for Children was organized by Shrutinaad earlier on the day as a part of the event.

The Seventh Amulya Kumar Chakravarty Memorial Translation Literature Award has been presented to Dhrubajyoti Borthakur for Assamese translation of Hermann Hesse's book 'Siddhartha'. The award was ceremonially handed over by the President of Assam Sahitya Sabha, Dr Dhrubajyoti Bora on 4th October, 2015 at Sankardev Kalakshetra, Guwahati

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RAGINI CHAKRAVARTY

Music and More>>>

Ragini Chakravarty is a Hindustani Classical Vocalist of the famed Kirana gharana and a disciple of Padmabhushan Dr. Prabha Atre. Ragini has been performing all over India with her classical recitals, light compositions and sangeet se sangeet tak concerts. She can be consulted here for program details.Under the banner of Shrutinaad Ragini also conducts regular classes on vocal music.Ragini's second audio album 'Bhoyai Oi...Kahani Ahiba Ghuri' (O' My Beloved...When Are You Coming Back Home!) was released at Guwahati on 4th January by renowned writer-author Lakshminandan Bora. This album consists of ten immortal Assamese songs of poet-composer-author-freedom fighter Kamalananda Bhattacharyya. Beauty of words and melody make these numbers irresistible.

Contact: info.shrutinaad@gmail.com

Ragini's Album 'Bhoyai Oi...'

Assamese Song by Ragini Chakravarty

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'My Grandfather's Songs'. Ragini's First Album of Immortal Songs of Kamalananda Bhattacharyya

Ram Kahiye!

Ram Kahiye!

Ragini at Jaipur, March 2, 2011

43rd Mahashivratri Bhavya Sangeet Samaroh, 2011.

Geet Se Sangeet Tak...A Musical Journey

Ragini performing at Karnataka Sangha, Mumbai, Jan 30, 2011

Tributes to Poet Composer Kamalananda Bhattachayya

It was on this day of 4th January, 1951 that the State of Assam lost a great son , a poet, composer, lyricist, playwright and freedom fighter, Kamalananda Bhattacharyya who had composed over 200 songs in Assamese apart from a vast array of other writings. We offer our tributes to this great personality whose treasure-house of pristine music continues to inspire us and all music lovers of Assam.

Bibekananda Bhattacharyya

Mass Movement Against Terror

But when common people are fed up and angry they are capable of revolutions, again, if properly supported and guided. Pages of world history give enough proofs of that which everybody would accept except perhaps Pakistan.